A Mind Set on Peace

Adapted from David Rollert

The idea of peace often brings to mind Phil 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” And we want that peace that is beyond our understanding. But how do we get such peace? Read the previous verses for more: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Some might despair at what the passage asks of us: rejoicing all the time, even when we’re down; being reasonable all the time, even when we don’t feel gentle or reasonable; being anxious for nothing when we in fact feel anxiety. However, this is an application passage: the application of a foundation. We need to develop a mind set on peace, a mind that is focused on and dwelling on peace of Christ.

That foundation of peace in Christ is found in Romans 8:1-10 “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death… For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit… to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Christ did what we cannot; Christ sets us free from sin as the old law could not. In contrast, those who walk according to the flesh are focused on things that are against what God says, their minds are “hostile to God, for they do not submit to God’s law.” Those who are hostile to God are actively working against God, they are at war with Him. Those who walk according the Spirit are focused on things that please God, we are striving for salvation, our minds are set on it. To walk according to the Spirit is to belong to Christ.

How do we walk in the Spirit? How do we set our mind on the Spirit? John 14:23-27 “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him… The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither be afraid.” We walk by the Spirit by obeying Christ, by focusing on what Christ delivered to us in His life and through His apostles. The basis of our peace is Christ’s gift of salvation and His word.

How do we apply that foundation in daily life, while we’re going about our daily routine and work? We consider how we can apply God’s word to the various situations that arise: with integrity, reasonableness, patience. To set your mind on something is to fill your mind with it, to focus on it, to dwell and meditate on it. We choose life and peace through Christ and His word. To be alive in Christ brings peace that passes understanding. Gaining His peace is a choice and a process as we conform our minds and thinking to His mind and thinking and become more like Him.